Worthy addition

STOCKTON - Since the departure of Driver's Soul Food and Bar-B-Que, there's been a void on California Street downtown bigger than just an empty storefront.

The Record

STOCKTON - Since the departure of Driver's Soul Food and Bar-B-Que, there's been a void on California Street downtown bigger than just an empty storefront.

But the void is filled nicely with a plate of meat, side of potato salad and some sweet tea from It's a Family Affair Cafe. The new restaurant's arrival to the old spot is announced almost daily in a cloud of white smoke rising from the cooker on the sidewalk outside.

A group of us popped in from The Record for lunch to see if it was a worthy addition to the downtown food scene.

We never pass an opportunity to order a plate of ribs, which for $7.99 came with two sides. The pork was juicy and tender, though not fall-off-the-bone soft. Slightly sweet and a little tangy, the sauce was delicious.

The only two sides available were potato salad and greens. Instead of being a bland accompaniment to the meat, the potato salad was treat. Well seasoned, but not spicy. Light and fluffy in texture, it was neither too heavy or too creamy.

It's a side order that won't be sidelined.

The greens came with bits of bacon, but were a little watery. The meal also came with a couple of slices of white bread.

The ribs meal and almost everything else we ordered was on the specials whiteboard behind the counter. There are gems on the printed menu, too, like southern fried pork chops and eggs and other things on the breakfast menu we didn't sample on this trip.

The chicken meal was another white-board offering. At $6.99, it was tasty and filling. The barbecued chicken thigh and drumstick on the plate were nicely done and moist. The classic tomato-based sauce was sweet with a slight smoky tang.

We washed it down with a glass of iced tea, sweetened, although we didn't ask for sugar. We needed more than the fork provided. There were plenty of napkins, but a knife would have helped tackle the saucy chicken.

The service could not have been friendlier, but it could have been faster.

There was a wait for the chicken, but our server talked us through it, making sure that we didn't want to start on something else while we waited for the chicken.

The restaurant is sparsely decorated, but pretty. The old Driver's was beginning to show its age, but It's a Family Affair seems brighter inside, and it's not just the fresh coat of paint.

Almost all the seating is on fixed stools behind a long lunch counter, but there is one table at the front where a group of us could sit and face each other. It was nice that the television screen hanging above was being used to display what music filled the restaurant. The gospel tunes belting out added to the inviting atmosphere.

There were two burger options on the menu - the standard hamburger for $3 and the deluxe bacon cheeseburger for $6.50 with a basket of French fries. We chose the latter. It had fresh lettuce, tomato, dill pickle and onions with a small grilled beef patty covered in melted American cheese on a soft milk bread bun. Fair enough on its own.

However, the two long thick strips of bacon that crisscross the burger are a game-changer.

It's a hard thing to do to make a hamburger stand out, but they managed to do it here. The meaty bacon was fried expertly - not too soft, not too crisp and it melted nicely with the beef, bun and produce.

It was almost like a BLT with a beef patty as an add-on, making this as hefty an order as a double-double burger elsewhere. The French fries were nothing special, but good enough.

All in all, we got good food at It's a Family Affair. Good enough to tell friends, coworkers and, of course, family to give it a try when downtown.

Questions? Comments? Contact LENS Editor Christine Teldeschi at (209) 546-8274 or cteldeschi@recordnet.com. A copy of The Record's restaurant-review policy and recent reviews can be viewed on our website, recordnet.com/dining.